The Fellowship Curriculum

The Surge Fellowship curriculum encompasses a combination of content areas and learning experiences to impact not just the mind but also the heart of each fellow. This experience is curated to generate both individual and collective transformation through a bold reclamation of our leadership narratives, centered on the power and strength of our own racial and ethnic identities.

We kick off with a 2 ½ day retreat and completes with a graduation celebration. In the intervening months, fellows participate in one-day and two-day sessions each month and are expected to complete take-home assignments, as well as monthly contact with their executive coaches. 

Fellows explore content across five key subject areas, all feeding into their larger journey:

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Upon completing this one-of-a-kind program, Surge Fellows have the skills necessary to accelerate their trajectory in leadership, along with a new understanding of the authenticity and power they bring to the education leadership table. Read more about the many elements of our curriculum below.

Learning from Leaders of Color

High-profile leaders in education and other industries are faculty members and informal advisers to the network of Surge Fellows. Every session is packed with content, including everything from personal branding to change management to finance, led by experts of color with decades of professional experience and a lifetime of personal connection to Surge mission. 

Executive Coaching

Surge intentionally connects emerging leaders of color with coaches that they can connect with and learn from. Each fellow is paired with their executive coach for one year—starting six months into the fellowship and ending six months after graduation. Coaches support transformative growth, developing a genuine connection and an understanding of each fellow’s needs and wants.

The Shark Tank

Inspired by the television show, Surge provides emerging leaders of color an opportunity to practice and hone their collaboration, strategy, management, negotiation, and presentation skills in a low-stakes environment. The judges are tough, the issues are real, and the goal is growth.

Capstone Presentations

As a key milestone in the fellowship experience, the capstone presenation ranks high. This is each fellow’s culminating work that dives into a major project he or she hopes to accomplish and allows them to uses the tools and skills gained throughout the fellowship to form a vision and strategy, presenting their plan to expert judges and a room full of supporters.